BEIRUT

The Israeli army launched airstrikes on three neighborhoods in southern Beirut on Monday evening, just minutes after issuing urgent evacuation orders for the areas of the Lebanese capital.

Earlier in the day, Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee posted an “urgent warning to the residents of the southern suburbs of Beirut” on his account on the X platform, sharing maps of buildings where he urged residents and those in nearby structures to evacuate.

The evacuation orders targeted the neighborhoods of Laylaki, Haret Hreik and Burj al-Barajneh.

Adraee addressed residents, saying: “For your safety and the safety of your families, you must immediately vacate the buildings and move at least 500 meters away.”

He claimed the buildings were “near Hezbollah-affiliated facilities and sites,” adding “the Israeli army will act against them with force.”

According to an Anadolu correspondent, multiple Israeli airstrikes hit the Laylaki, Burj al-Barajneh, Rweiss and Bir al-Abed areas in Beirut's southern suburbs.

The sounds of Israeli warplanes flying over Beirut were still audible, according to Anadolu.

Lebanon's state news agency, NNA, reported that eight airstrikes hit Beirut's southern suburbs, destroying several buildings, including residential complexes.

Since early Saturday, Israeli warplanes have intensified air raids on the southern suburbs of Beirut and several towns in southern Lebanon, marking the heaviest bombardment since the July 2006 war.

The Israeli army announced Monday evening that it is establishing a closed military zone near the country’s borders with Lebanon amid reports of an imminent Israeli ground offensive into southern Lebanon.

According to an Israeli military statement, the announcement came following an assessment of the situation along Israeli-Lebanese border areas.

The statement added that the closed military zone covers the settlements of Metula, Misgav Am and Kfar Giladi in northern Israel, strictly prohibiting entry.

Since Sept. 23, Israel has launched massive airstrikes against what it calls Hezbollah targets across Lebanon, killing more than 960 people and injuring over 2,770 others, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.

Several Hezbollah leaders have been killed in the assault, including Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah.

Hezbollah and Israel have been engaged in cross-border warfare since the start of Israel's war on Gaza, which has killed nearly 41,600 people, most of them women and children, following a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas last October.

The international community has warned that Israeli attacks in Lebanon could escalate the Gaza conflict into a wider regional war.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio